Overflow valve for steam hydraulic systems



Nov. 18, 1930. w. H. RIDGWAY I 1,782,367

OVERFLOW VALVE FOR STEAM HYbRAULIC SYSTEMS Original Filed June 1, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 18,1930

w. H RIDGWAY OVERFLOW VALVE FOR STEAM HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS Original Filed June 1, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 25 r 5 companymg drawing, hereln i so Patented NovQlS, 193

QUNl-TED draulic elevators;

original application filed une 1,1923,

PAT NT (O 8 WILLIAM BIDGWAYQOF' coA'rEsvi LE, PENN Y VANIA, ASSIGNOR To Wmmmivr n.

RIDGWAY ANDELLIS TB; RIDGWAY, BOTH, OF GQATESVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA ovuimr now VALVE For; STEAM Ir imAULIG SYSTEMS My inventionrela'tes to pressure actuated apparatus, Shaving particularv relation to In its broad 'st aspect, important ob ject ofmy invention is to provide apparatus ofthe class described, having-highly"desirable operating, characteristics, wherein a pressure-actuated liquid column havlng s'uit- I able control means is operatively associated to provide in combination with an'overflowwith the movable element of pressur'e-operated apparatus,

A morespeclfic object of my invention is pipe for, apressure-actuated liquid column,

a specially designed valve operable to'close, the overflow-pipe only when pressure is ap-f plied to the said liquid column, thereby providing for theremoval ofsurplus liquid from the liquid column so long as, no pressure, is applied thereto. i

'lVith these and other objects and appli cations in mind, my invention further con- 3 sists' in the details of construct on' and op} era-tion and arrangement 1 hereinafter set forth and claimed and'i'llus'trated in therac- V the pressure" cylinder 1, whereby the upper Fig. 1 is a side, elevationalview, partially in section, of vention; U V i F g-i 2 is an. enlargedlongitudinal sec- I tiona l View of the valve construction shown in Fig. 1 for-controlling the operation of the i i tending portion 16 and a horizontally-extending portion 17 positioned at the desired] "upper level of the liquid column 2; A check '5 valve 18, shown in detail in Fig. 2 and here'- r the ill strated form "my invention shown in the drawing, I provide'vert cally pos1t oned pressure cylinder v 1 having Ya liquid column" 2 contained therein to exert a pressure on the liquid column by m a of a P e 6 e din :9mf the ai p q e ge ie q t emep 'y;p Fier st comprising. superposed layers 4 of water and oil, respectively, the quantlty of the oil and water eing such that when the liquid columnflfisiat its maximum height, an air space 5lremains between theflupper" surface of thelayer of oilland the'upper end V portion 'the pre'ssurefcylinderl.

j Steam be suppli 'dfto the air js'pacet apparatus emb dyingm in of embodiment of flieuprexsii aci q th bp y a .i

removed by menisci] horizontal xtension Serial Maig et, Divided and, this, application and January 20, 1927. Serial msieaass. i

controlvalve 8 Whichis positioned on the outside, of the pressure cylinder 1. The end of the pipe 6, opening into the air space 5, is 1 which is admitted to the airspace 5 rises to I the'top thereof leaving an insulating Stratum of air between the upp'ersurfaceof the oil and the stratum of steam, whereby the tendency for contact between the'ioil and the steam, and the resulting steam condensation, is further decreased. The j'stratum of air and oil also serves to insulate the "steam' from the body of Water 3.

The valve 8 is provided with an additional outlet opening for an exhaust pipe 11. I

Hence the valve 8 is operable toconnectth pipe 6 directly to the steam pipe 7 or tothe exhaust pipe 11'. A pair of'water-glass indicating devices 12 and 13,'of well-known design, are positioned in operative relation to the upper and to the-lowerend portions of base'portioln'of the pressure tank 1 containing'the stratum of Water 3, a vertically-exi'ua'l'tr. more fully described, servesjto close theoverfioW-pipe '14 only when steam vis adj:

during the periods oii inopei'ation a leaka 'e pat'h,' serving to; limit the upper level liquid column 2, Such Wa 19 of th pipe l7 which-'"opensint )fthe portion oft e inspires 511s f rfli'e m xi? mum 1 1M3 lev rs the o i A, w twP' al e-m ny ow idesi m y i i ded n h p pee tensions .h r ie ta r x fwd efre fi fi "1 etc- 1 :mitted to'thc air space 5, thereby proyiding V overflow-pipe 14 may be provided. with an extension 22 having a similar. control valve 23, whereby. the water and oil, constituting the column 2 may be removed at Will from the pressure cylinder 1.

l hecylinder l has an outlet opening in the] base portion thereof communicating by means of a pipe 24With a cylinder 25 'of-pressure operated apparatus 26 comprising in addition a piston 27 movable in said cylinder when steam is supplied to said airspace5. TA connectlng rod 28 may' operatlvely associate the piston 27 with elevator apparatus (not shown) A control valve 29 is included in the communicating pipe 24 and it is adapted,

in one position,tolprdvide forthe passage of the liquid medium constituting the liquid column 2 fromthe pressure cylinder 1 to the" cylinder 25 of the pressure-actuatedapparatus 2b and in'i'ts opposite. position to provide'for the return of the liquid medium,

preventing, howeveryat all times, any backflow ineither of its operative positions. Inasmuch as a valve havmg the characteristics just defined is of standard construction, a

detail description thereof has been omitted. In some. cases, it may be desirable to interconnect the actuating elements of the con. trol valves 8 and29, respectively, by common adjusting means 31' to effectthe simultaneous operation of the same, the control valve 29being opened to provide for the passage of theliquid medium therethrough from the cylinder 1 to the pressure apparatus'26 simultaneous with the opening ofthe valve 8 to admit steam tothe all space 5.

Referring more especially to the valve con struction .18, which is shown in longitudinal section in Fig. 2, avalve casing '32 is pro,- vided having a main passageway 33 termi n'ating in inlet and outlet openings 34 and 35, respectively; and intersected by a transversely extending partition 36 having a horizontallyextending portion 37 provided with athreaded perforation 38. An annular-memb01239 is securedin threaded engagement with the threadedperforation 38 and beveled at the lower edge thereof to form a valve seat" 41 for a cooperating valve; disk 42' having 'de pending Wing port ons 43 slidably engaging 1 the walls of a pocketl44 formed in aihollow .cap; n1emberv451'which secured in threaded engagement with T the portion of; the valve. casing .32directly beneath the valve seat 41.

Force may be exerted on the movable valve construction 51 of usual design, which is car ried by the valve casing 32.

In operation, the force of the spring 46 1H such that .the valve disk 42 is actuated into engagement with the valve seat 41 to close the valve passageway 33 only when a. fluid medium, under such pressure as obtains 1 when steam is admitted to the air space 5, is iorced through the valve lnlet opening 34.

The valve construction just define d, therefore,'provides forthe .continuous passage of the liquid medium therethrough when it is "actuated by a pressure less than thei'orceof' the spring 46,as obtams durmg normal overflow conditions; V

check valve' 52, of usual constructon communicating with the atmosphere, may be operatively associated by means of'acommunicating pipe 53 with a perforation 54 in'the valve casing 32 terminating in theportion of the main passageway 38 immediately adjacentto the outletopening 35 thereof,

whereby such vacuum as is formed therein during the normal operation of the valve may be reheved.

In the operation of my invention, when the valve-actuating means 31 is moved downwardly, as shown in Fig. 1, steam is admitted r01 the air space simultaneously with the opening of the;communicatingipipe 24 to provide for a movement of the liquid' medium therethrough from thecylinder 1'. The action of the steamis; to exert apressure on the liquid column 2 -which is transmitted to the piston 27 of the pressureoperated apparatus 26,,causing a downward movement of the same and the" consequent operation of such elevator apparatus (not shown) as is, associated therewith through the connecting rod' 28. When ,force is applied to the 1 liquid column 2, the valve 18' closes in the manner hereinbefore described, to close the overflow-pipe 14.

YWhen the ,valve actuating means '31 is movedupwardly to connect the exhaust pipe 11 with theair space 5, the pressure'upon the liquidcolumn 2 is removed simultaneous with the actuation of the valve 29 to the for, the return of the liquid mediumirom the pressure actuated apparatus 26 t0 the cylinder-.1. Simultaneous with theremoval of the pressure on the liquid column 2, the spring 4 6 actuates the valve disk 42 out of engagement with the valve seat 41, opens ing the .valvel18. and: thereby rendering the overflow-pipe .14' effective, as shown in Fig. 2. The level of the liquid column 2 in the cylinder .1' continues toirise until it has reached its maximum upper level, as determined bythe position. of the horizontallyextending'portion 1 7 of the overflow-pipe Reference-is made tomy co-pending ap plicatiqn; Serial "642,800, filed June 1,

other of its operative positions. providing of my invention, for the purpose of describdicated 1923, Patent No. 1,626,556 dated A ril 26, 1927, and assigned to William H. and Ellis B. Ridgway, wherein the valve construction comprising the subject matterof the present application is claimed broadly in combination with hydraulic elevator mechanism.

:While I have shown only one embodiment ing the sanie and illustrating its principles of construction and of operation, it is apparent that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I desire,'therefo1"e, that only such limitations shall be imposed thereon, asqare inmanded by the prior art.

I claim: 7 V a 1. A valvecomprising a valve casing having a passageway terminating in inlet and outlet openings, a partition having an opening therein intercepting said passageway,

said partition being formed to constitute a I- valve seat, the portion of said casing beneath said opening being providedwith a pocket,

a valve element having one end slidably mounted in said pocket and-the other end provided with a valve disk normally spaced from said valve seat, means for resiliently maintaining said valve'disk in said" last I mentioned posltion, the v'alveielement being actuated to cause said valve disk to engage saidvalve sea-t only when thepressure of element. I a

2. A valve casing having a partition in the passageway thereof provided with a valve seat,a spring loaded valve disk movable intojengageinent with said. valve, seat upon the apphcation of a predetermined force to said'spring loaded valve, and a check valve communicating with the atmosphere and so connected to said valve casing as to tend to prevent vacuumefiects on the operation of said spring loaded valve,

XVILLIAM RIDGVVA'Y.

in the appended claims or as are den 

